5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Starting an Online Home Business

Ask a list of 100 people about what they think of internet marketing, and chances are that at least 60% of them will say it does not work. Even though they think it won’t work, if asked why it fails to be successful, they most probably will never have a good enough reason.

So what exactly causes an online business opportunity to fail? The answer is: Many things. The main reason why internet businesses fail is because by the time the entrepreneurs figure out which pitfalls to avoid, either their capital runs out, or they just give up because the learning curve is too steep!

If you already have a business online (or plan to have one soon), make SURE you avoid the following situations:

1. NEVER choose to promote a useless or boring product: Let’s say you have a fabulous site design and a great eye-catching website name. If you do not have a fabulous product to promote on that website, it ceases to be a productive opportunity for your customers. Sure, customers might buy your product once, but when they figure out the product was useless, they will be sure never to buy from your website again. Having a BAD product is one of the sure-fire ways to get yourself killed in this business.

2. NEVER spend too much on advertising: You have to figure out what is the maximum budget to be allotted to the advertising aspect of your website. Sure, paying for advertising is one of the quickest ways to get subscribers and promote your website in the beginning, but the steep cost you pay is rarely worth the trouble. Do not fall in this trap! Try to generate FREE traffic for your website in the long run. You can EASILY do this by submitting your articles and website info into e-zines and web directories. You can also accomplish this by linking with other heavy traffic websites, which guarantees free traffic to your website.

3. NEVER think traffic means little to you: Generating traffic is your FIRST priority in this business. Rule number 1 suggests: No traffic, no income! It is as simple as that. A lot of webmasters set up a website, attend to all aspects of it, but fail to generate enough traffic to earn any income. Generating traffic is easy OVER TIME. Do not think you will have 10,000 people knocking on your website door within the next 4 weeks. It is not realistic. Instead, aim to build your traffic slowly and consistently. Way to increase traffic is to install AdSense on your website, create three-way links to other heavy traffic websites, and using article submission services to increase your exposure. Over time, it is the simple steps that go a long way.

4. NEVER have a complicated business website without a site map: If your website has too much text, your customers will likely get confused and move on. Always make sure you have an ELEGANT and simple website, which makes it easy for customers to navigate and see all aspects of the website. Having a site map enables Google spiders, as well as customers to explore your website in a simple way, increasing your exposure and ultimately, sales.

5. NEVER forget to check your website for broken links: The reality is, broken links surface all the time. You change an aspect of your website or edit the HTML and chances are one of the links stops working. Sure, it can be avoided if you are really careful. But just to be on the safe side, check your website consistently for broken links. At the bottom of your website, provide customers with a link to where they can report any broken links. Trust me, this will improve your bottom line, because it shows you as a responsible individual and you will gain your customers’ trust.

These 5 pitfalls when avoided, will make sure you start on a strong footing. While they alone do not guarantee success, they will help you to understand what the 5 root causes of failing internet marketing businesses are.